Just wanted to share this app in case anyone else struggles with staying focused (TikTok has ruined my attention span). It’s called Focus Friend and it was made by Hank Green. Basically, you get a little pinto bean character who knits while your focus timer runs. If you stop early, the bean drops their stitches and gets sad 😂. When you stick with it, the bean knits socks and scarves, which you can use as currency to decorate their tiny room. I’ve been using it mostly for reading, especially with long chapters. Since my ereader tells me how long each chapter will take, I just set the timer for that amount. It’s been surprisingly motivating, cute, and honestly pretty fun so far!

I challenged myself to read 50 books in 2024 and was 2 books short of completing my goal. I wasn't really bothered by this, as 48 books is still a pretty outstanding achievement for someone who only read about 5 books in 2023. I set the same 50 book goal again this year but made such slow progress that I reduced it to 25 books. I'm currently at 10/25 books complete and am completely baffled as to how I read so much in a year when I'm struggling to do the same now. So I'm curious: how often do y'all meet your reading goals? Do you set a reading goal at all, or do you find that overwhelming? Do you have any strategies for how to stay on top of your reading goal?

For me, I typically try and read the exact opposite of what I just finished in at least one aspect (i.e. if I read a 500+ page novel, I'll move on to a novella, or go from a light romance to an intense fantasy). Obviously if I'm on a roll with a series I'll try and continue it but I feel like flip flopping helps with keeping me out of reading slumps! Curious if anyone else has any little rules like this or how people determine what they're in the "mood" for as a mood reader.